Peggy, an English wooden doll (c.1765) estimated at £10,000-15,000 at Special Auction Services.
It will be going under the hammer on February 22 and in April and the saleroom has hopes of a £500,000 total.
Austin Smith and his late partner Margaret Harkins began collecting in 1949 after they rescued a broken doll from a house contents sale in the West Country. The collection was displayed in several rooms in their large home and was rarely seen by anyone but themselves.
Not only were the rooms in Austin’s house full of dolls, but there was also one dedicated to their collection of automata another to dolls’ houses.
Portrait pair of Pierotti King Edward VII and Queen Alexander dolls in coronation robes c.1901 guided at £1500-2000 by Special Auction Services.
Daniel Agnew, doll and teddy bear specialist at SAS, says: “Austin has been poorly, so I was shown around by a relative. I was staggered by the first room which was full of the best antique dolls you could imagine, then shown a corridor full of wall mounted cabinets of small dolls, then another room of dolls’ houses, a room of automata, then a further two rooms of dolls. Yet to be counted, there must be over 1000 dolls, and many smaller items too. Truly a collector’s dream.”
The top-estimated lot in the sale (shown top) is Peggy, an English wooden doll (c.1765) estimated at £10,000-15,000. Although she is legless, she is wearing her original clothes and is being sold with family provenance.
Also shown here is a portrait pair of Pierotti King Edward VII and Queen Alexander in coronation robes c.1901 guided at £1500-2000.
